The Crumpled Note
by JustLittle0ldMe
Summary: People say that within this world everyone dies two deaths. The first death comes when you stop breathing and your soul leaves this earth, but there is a second one. The second one is more painful for this death claims you a bit later on, when somebody whispers your name out loud for the last time. Oneshot. Warning: Character death and suicide.


If only he'd known. If only he'd taken heed of the warning signs his lover had been giving out over the months leading up to the tragic incident. He remembered him clearly. His silken gold locks, shimmering as he passed by their living room window; the dazzling smile that proceeded to warm his heart even though, he had sworn to himself long ago to remain as cold and as stoic as the ancient Greek statues of their worshipped deities. The tanned hands that embraced him, comforted him, soothed him when he was enraged or boiling with agitation. Sasuke had not forgotten.

He had not forgotten the warmth his lover radiated. He was like pure starlight, illuminating anything his rays managed to touch, melting even the coldest of hearts and burning through even the darkest of days. Sasuke was no exception. He was caught in the blonde's trap the moment his dark orbs had laid eyes upon him; like a fly ensnared in the sturdy web of an approaching spider, only later realizing what a mistake he had made. Naruto was too clean, too innocent for Sasuke's corrupt soul and yet the raven could not help but covet him. Looking back he could not find an answer to the question that plagued him sleepless night after sleepless night; which boy was the fly and which was the spider? He supposed it did not matter anymore. The love of his life, the keeper of his heart, the matched pair to his soul, was gone. There was nothing that could be done to bring him back.

As Sasuke lay in his cold bed, he found a sick type of comfort in the utter despair he was feeling; even as endless streams of liquid ran down his flawless cheeks, he could not find the strength within himself to leave behind the guilt ridden misery. He slid his hand to the left side of his bed, praying and wishing and hopping and _begging_ that the past few months had been a nightmare. That, when his hand made contact with the opposite side, Naruto would be there, flesh and all. He would grin, that idiotic, radiant grin of his and brush off Sasuke's worries like water off a ducks back before proceeding to pull him into a crushing embrace and stroke his hair lightly with calloused fingertips. His prayers were not answered.

The same empty area of mattress greeted his fingertips as it had done so many times in the past weeks; Sasuke had become familiar with the gut-wrenching agony that followed after the realization that this was no nightmare. This was reality. His lover was never coming back.

Clamping a hand over his mouth as painful sobs racked his body he thought back to the day of the incident, the day that had changed his life and thrown it into absolute chaos. Now, the signs Naruto had exhibited where as clear as the moon that hung in the night sky and he continued to torture himself for not seeing them sooner. When he was able to do something about it.

* * *

"_I'm going out Naruto, don't wait up for me." Sasuke said calmly. Work had been absolutely terrible as of late and one of his rival businesses had proposed a dinner in order to resolve the feud between them. It was safe to say the raven was not looking forward to it and he could not help the frown that pulled at his lips. But it was still a business dinner and if all went well, a great deal of money could be made from this single night._

_Raising his crystal blue eyes from the papers he was currently reading, Naruto focused his gaze over the tops of his spectacles to look at his dark haired lover. His gut jerked in agony and his heart almost cracked as Sasuke's words reached his ears. They were so cold. So unfeeling. Yet he did not allow the emotions to slip onto his face, he did not want to burden the raven with his insignificant thoughts when his lover had a business dinner. Still, Sasuke had been going out a lot lately, leaving Naruto alone. It was always work related and for the first few years, the blonde completely understood, however six years into their relationship it was starting to wear him down. Being alone was the one thing in this world that he absolutely loathed and Sasuke had been so distant lately, brushing him off without a mere thought. _

"_Since when did I ever take your advice, Bastard? Try not to be too late!" Naruto said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. A fake grin plastered his face and he purposefully used the old nickname the blonde had given him, praying that it would create a reaction from the dark haired male. None came._

_Walking out the room without replying to the blondes taunt, Sasuke's face remained stoic, he was too absorbed in his own thoughts about the upcoming dinner to notice the crestfallen look in the blonde's eyes. _

_Not sparing a second glance behind him, Sasuke put on his blazer over the expensive suit he was wearing and left the house, closing the door behind him. _

_Crystalline teardrops raced down the blondes scarred cheeks as Sasuke exited the house and he visibly flinched upon hearing the door slam shut. His hands were trembling with the effort of trying to choke back the distraught sobs that racked his frame. He could not do this anymore. The one person he had given his heart wholly and completely too was becoming bored of him. Naruto knew it was bound to happen sooner or later, it was only a question of when; everyone in his life ended up leaving him alone, he just believed that Sasuke was the exception to that rule. Apparently not. _

_The familiar feeling of loneliness enveloped his heart, body and soul as he pulled off his glasses, covered his tear stained face with his hands and curled up; trying to become as small as possible. This was a common occurrence as of late, over the past year Sasuke had become more engrossed in his work than ever before and even though Naruto had tried desperately to get the raven's attention once more, he had been failing miserably. Perhaps Sasuke just did not want him anymore. Perhaps his was trying to tell the blonde in his own way that he wanted Naruto to leave and never return. _

_This thought completely broke the blonde; it ripped him in two and shattered his soul in the process. He was not wanted, nor was he needed. And it was in that moment, when his soulless orbs opened, that he knew what he needed to do. He had to grant Sasuke's wish and leave for good, he loved the raven with every fibre of his being and would give absolutely everything he owned just to see the raven smile; perhaps he could make Sasuke happy once again._

_Quickly wiping the tears from his face, he gave a shaky smile at his decision. Sasuke would be better off without him, he would be able to accomplish so much more without the blonde holding him back, relying on him for almost everything. Giving a firm nod, Naruto swiftly got up from the sofa and scribbled a note down on the closest piece of paper, placing it on the coffee table so Sasuke was able to see it. The blonde swiftly walked to the door, giving one final glance to the house that had been his home over the past six years; a melancholic smile enveloped his features at knowing this was the last time gazing upon it. He reminded himself once more why he was doing this. Sasuke. It was all for Sasuke. _

"_I hope you can finally be happy now." Naruto whispered into the empty silence, closing his eyes in peace for a small moment before turning around, opening the door and leaving his life behind._

* * *

Clenching his eyes shut in anguish, he wished with all his might that he could turn back time, yet Sasuke knew that was impossible. There was no way he could change anything, there was no way he could ever forgive himself for not paying more attention to the blonde, not cherishing him, not telling him that he loved him, not noticing him until it was too late.

Tears continued to stream down the Uchiha's cheeks as he raised himself from his bed and quickly dressed, he glanced out of his window for a split second before slipping his feet into his polished shoes. Even though it was late and dark he had to go and see Naruto. His heart and mind and body and soul would not rest until he had.

Walking down the stairs, his ears strained at the eerie silence that enveloped his house, nothing was the same without his lover, it was all too bleak, too lifeless, too…empty. Sasuke closed the door behind him and sniffled lightly, bringing up his sleeve to wipe away the remaining tears upon his face; even though it was dark, he could not take the risk of anyone seeing him cry. Even in his situation he refused to show weakness to strangers.

Walking briskly in the cool November weather, he placed his hands in his pockets, trying to conserve as much heat as possible; his mind began to wander, and his thoughts returned to the moment he, as a person, had shattered.

* * *

_The dinner had gone extremely well. The rival company and himself had come to an agreement of sorts and decided to work together on their newest project. As relived and as grateful as Sasuke was he was absolutely exhausted; he needed to sleep as soon as possible._

_Gracefully removing his blazer and shoes, he placed his briefcase by the door and peeked his head round the corner to see if Naruto had indeed stayed up to wait for him. 'He normally does, the moron.' Sasuke thought affectionately, although he would never admit it, he was humbled at the fact the blonde would purposefully force himself to stay awake just for Sasuke's sake. It warmed his soul knowing a person loved him that much. _

_He saw no movement in the living room and, on closer inspection, no blonde lover either. Rolling his eyes slightly, a small smile tugged at his lips, knowing his lover was most likely passed out on their bed, unable to fight the fatigue any longer._

_No sooner had the raven begun making his way up the stairs, that a firm knock sounded at the door and he turned round swiftly, quite started at the noise that echoed throughout his home. Grumbling quietly to himself and wondering who the hell would disturb him at this time of night, he made his way toward the door and opened it quite violently, laying his famous glare upon the unlucky visitor._

"_Sasuke? Uchiha Sasuke?" a man wearing an officer's uniform asked the raven quite formally. His expression was completely neutral and in his hand was a piece of paper that he kept glancing at every few seconds. The light from the street showed that this male had mousy brown hair that only just reached passed his ears. Confusion spread across the ravens face, not knowing why a police officer was outside his home, at this ungodly hour._

"_Yes. What's the problem officer?" Sasuke replied calmly, knowing that he could not take out his agitation on this man, even if he was preventing him from finally entering, much needed unconsciousness. _

"_I'm very sorry to tell you this, Mr. Uchiha, but earlier tonight, your partner Naruto Uzumaki took his own life. He jumped off the Kohona Bridge and as you can probably guess, he did not survive." Said the officer rather evenly, in fact if anyone else had been present at this very moment they would say it was extremely rehearsed._

_But Sasuke's heart had stopped, his whole posture frozen in pure, unadulterated disbelief. His breathing had halted and the only sound that echoed throughout his body, before tears brimmed his widened eyes, was the sound of his heart cracking into a million tiny pieces._

* * *

Finally arriving at his destination, Sasuke pushed open the rusted gates and stepped into the peaceful cemetery. A cool breeze made the leaves on the evergreen trees sway gently in the darkness, only adding to the serenity of the sacred place.

Breathing in deeply, Sasuke willed away the tears that where threatening to spill from his dark eyes and he pushed on; walking down the path before stopping at a specific marked gravestone.

His left hand still in his pocket, clenched around the paper that contained the final words the blonde had written in his life time; it was incredibly precious to Sasuke. Bringing the paper out of his pocket and opening it so he could read the words scribed upon it, Sasuke gave a shaky smile, his eyes once again glinting with unshed tears.

"_I love you Sasuke, please be happy now, you know I can't bear it when you're upset."_

The wind picked up and Sasuke gingerly folded the precious note before placing it back into his pocket. He curled his arms around his torso, trying to warm up his body temperature and took in the simple gravestone.

It was nothing special, quite plain actually, with the words 'R.I.P Naruto Uzumaki' inscribed upon it; there were white orchids arranged at the front, put there by the raven the day before. Bringing up a shaky, pale hand, to the gravestone, Sasuke brushed his thumb across the cool stone and exhaled a small breath as the tears began to flow down his, already tear stained cheeks. Closing his despair filled eyes he leaned in and placed his forehead on top of the palm situated on the gravestone, knowing that this was it. He could not deny this any longer, Naruto was gone and no amount of begging or pleading or apologizing would bring him back. He would never forget the blonde male in all the years he lived and the raven would carry his memory with him always, however it was now time for Sasuke to move on. It was now time for Sasuke to let go, and with one final whisper, he did just that.

"Goodbye, Naruto."

_People say that within this world everyone dies two deaths. The first death comes when you stop breathing and your soul leaves this earth, but there is a second one. _ _The second one is more painful for this death claims you a bit later on, when somebody whispers your name out loud for the last time._

Authors Note:

I am so sorry if they aren't in charactor! But thankyou for reading all the same.

Reviews are always welcome : )


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